In today's world where tuition fees continue to rise rapidly and the demand for higher education increases in both the developing and developed world, it is important to find additional and alternative learning pathways that learners can afford. Traditional education as we have known it has begun to change, allowing for new parallel learning…

Due to its stringent entry requirements, academic reputation and world ranking, Oxford University in the United Kingdom is perceived by some as being a closed, exclusive, and elitist institution. As learning technologists working in the institution, we have experienced an enthusiasm amongst academic colleagues for openness in publication and…

An introductory course in technology was added to the basic curriculum of the Open University in order to emphasize the creative activity of design and to understand complex systems such as the environment or an industry. ( author/KM)

The paper starts with a general description of the Open University's teaching system as it operated in 1976, and student progress through the system. It then analyzes the University's cost structures on the basis of the University's 1976 Recurrent Estimates, and by indicating, on the basis of the information given, estimated average, marginal, and…

This document reviews the 10-year history of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), which is an intergovernmental organization that was created by Commonwealth of Nations heads of government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources, and technologies. The following are among the topics…

Trends in higher education (HE) in Scotland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom in the 1990s were reviewed, and possible policy directions for HE in the 21st century were explored. Special attention was paid to the following areas: features of HE institutions in the 21st century; the relationship between the state and HE institutions; curriculum…

This book contains 16 papers on learner support in distance education in an international context. The following papers are included: "Constructivism or Confucianism? We Have the Technology, Now What Shall We Do With It?" (Louise Aylward); "Exploring Informal Study Groups in a South African Teacher Education Programme" (Carol…

This book contains 19 papers on 20th century thinkers in adult and continuing education. The book is arranged in four parts as follows: early 20th century English thinkers; early 20th century American thinkers; theorists of adult and continuing education; and theorists of adult education and social change. The following papers are included:…

This paper discusses policy regarding learning in later life in the United Kingdom. The following are among the topics discussed in chapters 1-12: (1) the importance of lifelong learning; (2) the importance of learning to older people; (3) opportunities for lifelong learning in the United Kingdom; (4) the United Kingdom's aging population; (5)…

This book contains 19 papers examining innovation in open and distance learning through development of online and World Wide Web-based learning. The following papers are included: "Innovation in Distributed Learning: Creating the Environment" (Fred Lockwood); "Innovation in Open and Distance Learning: Some Lessons from Experience…

This document contains 43 papers from a conference on researching inclusion. The following are among the papers included: "Include Me Out: Critique and Contradiction in Thinking about Social Exclusion and Lifelong Learning" (Paul Armstrong); "The Linking of Work and Education To Enable Social Inclusion" (Dave Beck);…

This document contains a total of 57 welcoming speeches, theme addresses, seminar and workshop papers, and poster sessions that were presented at a conference on technological education and national development. The papers explore the ways technology and technological advances have both necessitated and enabled changes in the way education is…